1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless networking, and more particularly, to an automatic hardware-enabled virtual private network technique.
2. Description of Related Art
A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is generally implemented to provide local connectivity between a wired network and a mobile computing device. In a typical wireless network, all of the computing devices within the network broadcast their information to one another using radio frequency (RF) communications. WLANs are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, which designates a wireless-Ethernet specification using a variety of modulation techniques at frequencies generally in the 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) and 5 GHz license-free frequency bands.
The IEEE 802.11 standard (“Wi-Fi”), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, enables wireless communications with throughput rates up to 54 Mbps. Wi-Fi (for “wireless fidelity”) is essentially a seal of approval certifying that a manufacturer's product is compliant with IEEE 802.11. For example, equipment carrying the “Wi-Fi” logo is certified to be interoperable with other Wi-Fi certified equipment. There are Wi-Fi compatible PC cards that operate in peer-to-peer mode, but Wi-Fi usually incorporates at least one access point, or edge device. Most access points have an integrated Ethernet controller to connect to an existing wired-Ethernet network. A Wi-Fi wireless transceiver connects users via the access point to the rest of the LAN. The majority of Wi-Fi wireless transceivers available are in Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) card form, particularly for laptop, palmtop, and other portable computers, however Wi-Fi transceivers can be implemented through an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) slot or Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slot in a desktop computer, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), or can be fully integrated within a handheld device.
Users accessing data networks remotely often do so without security. This is particularly the case when a corporate user accesses his corporate Local Area Network (LAN) from a public hotspot. Most hotspots provide no security across the wireless link. This makes it mandatory to employ an external method of providing security to avoid confidential data being eavesdropped by unauthorized users. Typically, users desiring a secure connection to their corporate LAN employ a Virtual Private Network (VPN) solution. A VPN solution uses a special application on the user's computer and typically a VPN-Server strategically located on the corporate LAN. VPNs provide an end-to-end security solution regardless of the equipment or network components between the user's computer and the corporate network. VPNs however are slow and cumbersome and absorb a good portion of the available bandwidth. Client-side VPNs however, support only a single connection, that is, a connection between the user and the corporate LAN. A user desiring a second simultaneous connection would have to run a second VPN application to connect to a second location.